Two More Inches of Rain=Happy Grapevines

We have had a nice bit of rain here in Sonoma County-actually saw the Russian River rise and it was muddy. Even with the rainfall, here in Cloverdale we are on water rationing and making decisions on the water regimen for the vineyards as well as ourselves-very short showers these days! Check out my weather station data for rainfall udpates- Palomino Lakes/Tres Palmeras Vineyard

Aside from the weather I attended a great event at the Sonoma Mission Inn supporting the YWCA -what a great event-Women, Wine, and Cheese benifits the YWCA women's shelter and features women winemakers and cheesemakers. An auction lot of wines made by the winemakers there landed $4,000 - not bad!

There is another Benefit coming up May 16 - Cigar BQ -always a great event whether you are into cigars or not- great wines, great foods, and it all goes to charity- what a great mix!

Not much to report on the wines- they have all finished with their '2nd' or malolactic fermentation and are resting peacefully in barrels.

Pending licensing, the tasting room is a go! I and 4 other wineries have joined together to have a tasting room in Healdsburg- Yippeee! The room is across from the Raven theatre - 118 North St.
Will be having a Grand Opening the first part of June- but will be open for some limited tasting beginning this weekend.

Well, the cellar is calling-
Cheers from the Mustang Winemaker

If There is Budbreak, it Must be Spring!

It has finally arrived- budbreak- the little leaves are finally emerging from their winter hibernation. My Tres Palmeras vineyard is about two weeks later than last year. The weather has been pretty cool, and we are still pretty low on the rain. I was a little concerned about the cold snap we had about a week ago as the buds were looking pretty fat, but so far.........
Hopefully the vines have had enough water for healthy root growth- this may be the year that my Tempranillo does not overgrow itself! It will be a tough decision later in the year for water needs-there is a good possibility that it will not be available. This could mean another short year for grapes-we still have a ways to go yet- thinking too far ahead.

Looking back at last years harvest, here is a little video of the pics- the sound track is how I feel during this hectic time- enjoy!


Event update : Thursday I will be in San Francisco for the Wine 2.0 event - check it out and I hope to see you there!

That's all for now-
The Mustang Winemaker, Penelope

San Diego- Here comes the Mustang Winemaker!

I have a love/hate relationship with events........I love the travel, meeting new and old friends, sharing my wines. I 'hate' that I have to sell my wines- it is exhausting! I am not alone as a winemaker in this feeling- we love the excitement, but wish the wines would sell themselves. So, we learn a little about the ropes of selling. But we know that the people we are presenting the wines to, know that we don't have a clue about this part of the business. Did that all make sense?? In fact many of them wish that they did not have to deal with our passion, but would rather taste and then discuss business. And then there is the lingo....I still have much to learn.

I have gotten away from events some as I have drifted off to the retailers and brokers. Sunday Mar 15 is the first Family Winemakers event in Del Mar, California. So far, the number of tickets and responses has been very good. This organization has been doing this type of event in Pasadena for a few years and in San Francisco for more years. For me, I see how small I am in the big world of wine. But it also shows that I am a rebel in that big world. I make and sell TEMPRANILLO- the fifth most widely grown grape in the world. That's exciting- now I need to sell it to San Diego!

I hope I see some of you there- and if you know of any shops or restaurants that I should present my wines to- give a holler- we need to spread the word TEMPRANILLO!

The Mustang Winemaker

PS- I will be blogging and videoing the event and my adventures to the southland-stay tuned

I Spy Wine!

Yippeeee! Coral Mustang has been spied by the Wine Spies http://thewinespies.com/
You need to check them out-a new wine everyday-found or discovered stealthily by the Agents. Their mission, should they agree to take it, is to find great wines that are not 'mainstream' and bring them to you along with great information about the wine.

This is a busy time of the year- grapes are growing and events are fermenting. The Mustang Winemaker will be seen at :

COPIA- Aug8/9, 2008 for Grapes indigenous to Spain- - -Grown into Wines in the USA- - -Informative Seminars, Featuring a Walk-around Winetasting August 8/9, 1:00 – 4:30 pm
http://www.tapasociety.org/

Family Winemakers of California 18th Annual Tasting
Sunday, August 24, and Monday, August 25
Festival Pavilion
Fort Mason Center, San Francisco

The event at COPIA will be all about Iberian varietals-tasting included. This will be a fun and educational weekend, put this one on your calendar!

Family Winemakers is a great organization for small wineries like myself. They spend much time working on legislation that help wineries and growers. They never rest! This event features many wineries and the chance to taste a variety of wine in one place. Please stop by and say hello!

Well, off to the wines- stay tuned- a video on disgorging sparkling wine is in the works-Cheers